1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless networks, and in particular, to wireless networks that track the location and identity of wireless network devices.
2. Background of the Invention
Enhanced wireless 911 (E911) services help ensure that wireless telephones provide 911 call centers, or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), with vital information necessary to locate and identify a caller in an emergency. To comply with E911 standards promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), wireless network providers will soon be required to track the location and identity information of all wireless callers, with the purpose of providing such information to emergency personnel when a caller dials 911 from a wireless telephone. The FCC""s wireless E911 rules require certain Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) carriers to begin transmission of enhanced location and identity information in two phases. Phase I requires carriers to transmit a caller""s telephone number and general location to a PSAP. Phase II requires carriers to provide more precise location information to the PSAP.
Under the FCC rules, wireless networks and the corresponding wireless handheld devices, such as cellular telephones, will provide both the identity and location of the caller to a 911 dispatcher. To provide a caller""s identity, the wireless handheld device will furnish a device identification, e.g., a mobile identification number (MIN), indicating in most instances the telephone number of the device. The wireless network and wireless handheld devices will provide the location of callers using a network-based location system (e.g., triangulation), global positioning systems (GPSs) within the handheld devices, or a combination of the two systems.
In emergency situations, quickly communicating this location and identity information is an invaluable, life-saving tool. Indeed, although the location and identity information is generally perceived as private information, the public policy behind the E911 regulations favors disclosing such private information in hopes of administering the aid a caller needs in an emergency. However, outside of emergencies, most cellular device users view their location and identity information as intimately private, and express strong reservations against involuntary and automatic disclosures such information.
These reservations are not without merit, as wireless network providers have several ways to exploit the location and identity information of network users. For example, a network provider could furnish a retailer with the identities of network users near the retailer""s store, so that the retailer, in turn, could send an advertisement to the devices of the nearby network users, encouraging them to stop in and shop at the store. Knowing the identity of a network user, the retailer could also access profiling information on the user from data sources such as auxiliary marketing databases or historical databases chronicling previous business with the user. The profiling information would allow the retailer to provide targeted advertisements that are more likely to attract the user""s business. However, in providing the identity information necessary for these targeted advertisements, the wireless network provider risks offending the network users with a significant invasion of privacy.
The wireless network provider therefore faces a dilemma in satisfying two customers with opposing interests: 1) the network users who desire reasonable privacy, and 2) the content providers (e.g., businesses and advertisers) who aim to appeal to the network users by obtaining as much information about the network users as possible. Thus, to appease both customers, a wireless network provider must provide enough information to content providers to promote effective content delivery and advertising, but at the same time must limit such information to guard the network users"" privacy.
The present invention is an anonymous location wireless network service for use in a wireless network that tracks the location and identity of network users, such as networks complying with the E911 standards. The anonymous location wireless network service provides content providers (e.g., businesses and advertisers) with the location information of network users without revealing the identity of those network users. The service enables content providers to deliver (or xe2x80x9cpushxe2x80x9d) advertisements that appeal to a certain class of network users based on location. For example, a class of network users could include users in locations convenient to the business""s store or to users who have similar interests and who assemble in a single location, e.g., fans attending a sporting event at a stadium. The service also enables network users to query content providers to obtain information about the local area from which they are transmitting (referred to herein as xe2x80x9cpull messagingxe2x80x9d). Most importantly though, with either push or pull messaging, the service prevents the content provider from learning the identity of a network user and maintains this vital information in strict privacy.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the anonymous location wireless network service includes a wireless network having a proxy server, a network communication link to a plurality of web sites, and a wireless communication link to a plurality of handheld devices. The proxy server includes a memory storage, as an integral or separate component, for storing the device identifications (e.g., MINsxe2x80x94mobile identification numbers) and dummy identifications of network users.
To provide location information, the overall system architecture of the present invention includes a location system. The location system provides the wireless network with position coordinates of a handheld device that indicate where a network user is located. The location system can be a part of the wireless network, can be contained in the handheld devices, or can be a combination of the two. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the location system is both a part of the wireless network and is also contained in the handheld devices. For example, a suitable method of determining location as a part of the wireless network is by a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) location service, or perhaps by triangulation across cell sites or cell sectors. An example of a suitable location system in the handheld devices is a GPS.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proxy server performs the identity blocking function. Preferably, the proxy server reads the location and identity information of network users, generates a dummy identification, relates the dummy identification to the identity information, stores the relationship in the memory storage, and forwards the location information and dummy identification to the content provider in the global computer network. Upon receiving return messages from the global computer network, the proxy server reads the dummy identification, looks up the related identity information in the memory storage, and forwards the data to the appropriate network user.
As an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention, instead of using a different dummy identification for the device identification of each device, the dummy identification corresponds to the location of the device. Thus, the proxy server substitutes the location of a device for the identity information and stores the relationship between the device location and device identification in memory. The substituted location could be the same for multiple devices. In this manner, the content provider""s response would be a different content addressed to each location. In turn, the proxy server would look up in the memory storage the devices marked with the location to which the content provider addressed the content, would determine the corresponding device identification of each device marked with the location, and would return each different content to the corresponding devices.
In blocking identity, the proxy server acts as an intermediary between the plurality of handheld devices and the global computer network to provide security, administrative control, and caching service (e.g., caches material from popular web sites to reduce access times). Preferably, the proxy server is associated with or is part of a gateway server that separates the wireless network from the Internet. The proxy server could also be associated with a firewall server that separates the wireless network from the public network.
The proxy server communicates with the plurality of handheld devices through the wireless communication link. The proxy server provides routing selection (i.e., what transport bearer is to be used), access control, addressing, protocol conversion (i.e., WML text to WML binary), caching, and transport interface between wireless and wired networks (e.g., WAP stack to traditional IP stack, HTTP/TCP/IP). The proxy server runs one or more of the general operating systems, such as Windows 95(trademark), Macintosh(trademark), or UNIX(trademark).
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to block identity information on wireless networks that track location and identity information, such as wireless networks that comply with E911 standards.
Another object of the present invention is to provide content providers (e.g., businesses and advertisers) with the location information of wireless network users without revealing the identity of those network users.
Another object of the present invention is to protect the identity of wireless network users while still providing a content provider with enough information to promote effective targeted content delivery (e.g., advertising).
Another object of the present invention is to allow wireless network users to query content providers for information relating to a particular location without revealing their identities.